


True North

by monimala



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Episode Tag, F/M, Gap Filler
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-05
Updated: 2016-12-05
Packaged: 2018-09-06 17:00:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8761513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/monimala/pseuds/monimala
Summary: Takes place after episode 4.7. 

  When they come together, it’s not a crazy, drunken, collision of bodies...





	

When they come together, it’s not a crazy, drunken, collision of bodies — though her mouth does taste faintly of the liquor they’ve shared. It’s just...the inevitable. His hand at the base of her spine. Hers coming up to cup his cheek. They’re old friends who know each other, know this dance. Maybe they’ve been tilting toward each other for decades, just waiting to cross the last few crucial steps.

Melinda doesn’t flinch when he removes his prosthesis. He doesn’t linger on her bullet scars. They undress quietly, quickly, leaving sidearms on the night stand before they climb into bed. Once there, he expects her to take the lead, to plant her palm in the center of his chest and pin him between her gloriously taut thighs. But instead she slides beneath him, hips canting upward in invitation as she murmurs his name. “Phil.”

Too many people think Melinda May is reserved, emotionless, a robot. Those people are idiots. And he is breathless at the amount of sentiment she packs into that single syllable. It’s “yes,” and “finally.” It’s “I almost lost you, and I can’t bear it.” It’s “I love you” in the simplest of terms. Not in heat. Not in passion. Not an impulsive declaration. Not something that will burn out or fade away. It endures, this partnership of theirs. It’s a constant. A pole star. No matter where he goes, she’ll always bring him home. 

Phil braces his wrist next to her head on the pillow as he comes over her. Face to face. Skin to skin. Nothing but truth and trust between them. Her fingers interlace with his, and he can’t even be sorry he doesn’t have two hands to hold her with, because her grip is sure and tight and her lips part in a gasp when he slides inside her. He actually has to stop for a moment and just stare at her. Because on an aesthetic level he’s always known she’s beautiful, but like this...like this, with him, she’s dizzying. Too much. A warrior goddess letting a twice-dead suit make love to her. “Melinda...”

“Don’t stop now,” she tells him with a soft laugh, hooking her ankle behind his knees and pulling him deeper. All the way. So warm and welcoming and ready. He kisses her. She kisses him. Their tongues mimic the rhythm of gentle sex. After that it’s no longer awkward. There’s no hesitation. It’s just the two of them, Phil Coulson and Melinda May. Best friends. Partners. Giving in to what’s natural and right.

It’s the inevitable. 

Neither of them are naive enough to call it a first love or a true love — but Phil’s confident that she’s his last.


End file.
